Iris
by Hyde's Bride
Summary: An examination of life, death, and the powerful love that is shared over the years by Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde. Sweet, and hopefully touching, one shot. Jackie and Hyde FOREVER!


**A/N: Hi guys! Welcome to my new one shot! This idea popped in my head when a bit of music from the Braveheart soundtrack came on my ipod. I'm not sure how many of you have seen the movie, but those of you who have will understand where this came from, but it really is nothing at all like the movie, except for the fact that it's an examination of a love that never fades or dies. That is the kind of love I believe Jackie and Hyde share. Just to warn you, this is emotional. I mean, it's me who wrote it, so naturally it's emotional. Lol and there is also a line that is similar to a line in the song "Iris", which is a total Hyde and Jackie song. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this.**

**Dedicated to my friend Danielle (Jaded Angel). I hope it makes you have a happy day!**

* * *

The tiny little girl hopped up onto her parent's bed. The morning light was barely creeping into the cozy room, yet this little girl was wide awake and very determined. She was, after all, the product of her parents. She slowly crawled across the enormous mattress toward her father. She sat to his right with her face mere inches from his, just staring at him. A smile crossed his lips as he opened his eyes.

"Boo!" he grabbed his daughter.

"Ah!" She shouted. "Daddy, you scared me!"

He looked down at his little angel, who had easily learned to perfect her mother's famous pout.

"Aaaww, I'm sorry, baby." He pulled her to him and kissed her forehead.

She giggled "That's okay, daddy."

"Steven, what is it?" A groggy Jackie turned over and asked her husband.

"It's Iris, of course." He replied with a smile as his daughter hopped to a sitting position.

"Morning, mommy!" She cheered.

Jackie smiled and ran her hand through her daughter's raven ringlets "Morning, Iris. Why are you up so early?"

She shrugged "Sleeping is boring. I want daddy to tell me a story."

Hyde chuckled "You want a story now?"

Iris nodded "Yes! And I want a good one. One about when you and mommy weren't so old."

If anyone else had said those words, Jackie would have freaked, but when her four year old daughter muttered them, they were the most adorable words ever spoken.

Hyde laughed along with his wife "Okay, no old people stories. How about I tell you about when me and mommy first met?"

The girl clapped her teeny hands "Yay!"

"Okay, so I was only seven years old when my grandma passed away…"

* * *

**October 11, 1967**

The small boy stared at the casket that held the only person who was ever nice to him. She was a really kind woman and just about the only thing little Steven Hyde had seen resembling family and love in his short seven years. He certainly never got it from his parents. In fact, Bud Hyde was nowhere to be seen. He must have been passed out drunk in some alley. And on the day of his own mother's funeral, to boot. It just didn't get classier than that. The curly haired boy simply stared ahead, standing in his best suit, that he only had because his grandmother bought it for him. He watched as people came up and placed flowers upon the casket. Some were crying. Some spoke a few words in whisper. Some touched the coffin and spoke words of prayer. His grandmother had been very well-known and well liked in Point Place, nothing like her disgrace of a son and his trashy wife. In fact, it seemed as though the entire town had come to pay their respects to Elizabeth Hyde, not that that was saying much. Point Place consisted of a small number of people.

"We're so sorry for your loss." He heard the gentle words of Mrs. Forman, spoken to his mother.

"Eh, it's fine." He watched as Edna shrugged off the death of her mother-in-law like it was nothing, not even caring to notice that her son was breaking inside.

Kitty frowned at the woman and looked down to the small boy standing next to her.

"How are you, Steven honey?" She asked with her maternal gentility.

Hyde wanted to respond, but no words could escape his lips. It was as if his vocal chords had completely vanished from his throat.

Kitty neared tears "Oh you poor baby." She touched his face soothingly.

"I'm sorry about your grandma, Hyde." The skinny boy spoke sweetly to his new best friend.

Hyde nodded to his scrawny friend as the boy's older sister approached.

"Yeah, it sucks your grandma croaked."

"Laurie Forman!" Kitty reprimanded her daughter.

"What? I was being nice, mom!" The blonde insisted as she stormed off.

"It'll be alright, kid." The patriarch of the Forman family added as he patted the boy on the shoulder.

Hyde still could not respond verbally. As the Formans walked away, the Kelso's approached. The couple pulled along their six boys as they offered their condolences to his mother.

"Sorry about your grandma. She was nice. She used to give me cookies every time she saw me." Michael Kelso smiled at the thought of the kind woman "Aren't you going to cry? I thought people cry when people die."

Not only could Hyde not manage a tear, but once again he could not offer a response to his friend. As the Kelsos left, the Pinciottis approached.

"Aaaaww jeez." Bob spoke sorrowfully to Edna as his redheaded daughter pulled Hyde in for a hug.

"I'm sorry, Hyde. You must feel so sad."

Her voice was kind and genuine, but it did not…could not sooth him. He just wished that people would stop talking. Clearly words would not help him. After the Pinciotti family left, a slew of random people approached his mother to offer their sympathies. The last ones were a family that Hyde did not know, a dark haired, olive skinned man, his tall fashionable wife, and their small daughter. The girl simply stared at him as he stared back. She had long flowing raven hair and large, beautiful eyes. Her face was that of a doll's and Hyde had never seen something so exquisite in his life.

As her father and mother began to walk away, they pulled her along with them, yet she continued to stare straight at him. She then broke free of her mother's grasp and rushed over to a neighboring field and plucked something from the ground. It was a large, beautiful purple flower, that was so lovely, it hardly seemed real. Hyde thought that this tiny girl was much like the flower she held, too gorgeous to be real.

She returned to face Hyde and slowly lifted the flower, offering it to him. His eyes drifted down to the pretty purple flower and the small hand that offered it. He reached his hand out and took the flower from her. His eyes met hers as a tear fell from them. It was the first tear he had shed since his grandmother's passing. She simply kept her eyes of two different colors glued to his. She did not speak. It was as if she knew what he needed. Her mother returned and took hold of her hand, pulling her along. Hyde watched her walk away. He watched as her ebony hair flowed in the wind. She was like an angel.

"Thank you." He whispered, finally able to speak, as he looked down to the lovely flower. It was the first time in his life that he believed that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

"Wow so that pretty girl was mommy?" Iris asked her father in awe.

Hyde smiled down at his daughter, cuddled in his arms "Yeah that was your mommy."

"Your grandma's name was Elizabeth?" She asked curiously

"Yes, that's how you got your middle name."

"So when mommy gave you the flower, she made you happy cause you were sad?"

"Yes she did. Your mom was always making me happy when I was sad."

Jackie smiled "Aaaww Steven, I wasn't the only one who did that."

The little girl looked puzzled "What do you mean, mommy?"

Jackie pulled her daughter toward her as she spoke "Well baby, your daddy always made me feel better when I was sad too."

* * *

**April 12, 1980**

It seemed like things were never going to get better for Jackie Burkhart. She had possibly the worst year ever. She had lost her one true love, tried to pretend that her best friend was her actual true love, which turned out to be a gigantic, humiliating waste of time, and now she was burying her mother. Pam Burkhart had died of alcohol poisoning while vacationing in South America. She was only 43 years old. Jackie resented her mother for abandoning her, but she was still her mother, and it should still hurt to say goodbye to her, but for some reason, she simply felt numb. She was sure there were deep, painful emotions within her, desperately needing to come out, but for some odd reason they couldn't. She felt empty, hollow. Each of her friends made their way over to her to offer her words of condolence and comfort.

"Ai my goddess, I am so sorry." The foreign man spoke with genuine care in his voice.

"Thank you, Fezzie." Jackie smiled slightly as he pulled her in for a hug.

"Just remember, if you need any candy, come see me. I have some Hershey's Special Dark for you." He winked seductively at her and she laughed.

As he walked away, Michael Kelso made his way up to his ex-girlfriend "My poor little sweet pea."

She smiled "It's okay, Michael."

He pulled her in for a tight hug "Hey, at least your mom died hot."

"That's true!" She agreed as they broke contact.

Donna and Eric walked up to Jackie, arm in arm. Donna hugged her and Eric rubbed her shoulder soothingly "We're so sorry, Jackie." Donna said sincerely.

"Thanks guys."

"Yeah if you need anything, just…call us, okay?" Jackie could see the sympathy in Eric's emerald eyes and she smiled.

"Sure thing, nerd boy."

He smiled back "Watch your step, Devil."

Next, Mr. and Mrs. Forman approached her "Oh you poor little angel, we are so sorry about your mom." Kitty spoke, nearing tears.

"Thanks, Mrs. Forman."

Red cleared his throat, always uncomfortable in emotional situations "It'll be okay, loud one." He surprised her by pulling her in for a hug. A lot of people may not know, but Jackie sure did, that underneath his rough exterior, Red Forman was a complete softy. He was just like Steven. Steven…

As the Formans moved aside, Jackie locked eyes with her love. It had been such a difficult year without him. Just staring into his crystal blue pools now, felt like home to her. He made his way over to her slowly. When he reached her, he did not speak. He simply held out a large purple flower. She looked down at it as her hand reached for it. As she took hold of it, their fingers touched, and for a moment, the universe was right again. He smiled at her and walked away. Jackie looked down at the flower in her hand as all her emotions rushed to the surface at last. She turned around quickly.

"Steven!" She called out as he turned to face her.

For a moment they simply stood frozen in each other's sight. Jackie ran and jumped into his arms, as a wave of tears overtook her. He did not speak. He just held her tightly as she cried. A moment later he began to carry her off, as the entire gang watched. He spoke no words to them in response to their queries about where he was taking her. He just walked her tiny frame, still in his arms, to his car, and drove her away from her sadness, as only he could.

* * *

"So your mommy went to heaven like daddy's grandma?" The little girl asked her mother.

"Yes, baby."

"So everybody dies? I don't want you to die, mommy." She began to cry and cling to her mother tightly. Jackie looked over at Hyde, saddened by seeing their daughter hurt.

"Hey, look at me, princess." Hyde instructed his daughter in a soft, soothing voice.

She stopped crying and eyed her father expectantly. He could see the sorrow in her eyes, the eyes that matched his, and it killed him.

"Now baby, I know it's scary, but everybody dies eventually."

"But I don't want you to!" She wailed again.

He sighed "I know that, sweetie, but it's going to happen. Probably not for a long, long time, but at some point it will. That's just a part of life."

"But why?" She asked.

"It just is. We have to leave this place, so that we can go to the next one, whatever that is."

"Is the next place pretty, daddy?"

He smiled "I don't know. I hope so."

"It's heaven?" She asked, enthralled.

"Maybe. I'm not really sure. I guess so."

Jackie smiled "But you know, heaven isn't only a place where people go after dying."

"It's not?" Iris asked her mom, intrigued.

"Nope. It's also where some gifts come from."

* * *

**December 10, 1982**

As Jackie lay in her hospital bed, she watched her husband standing over the tiny crib, next to her bed. She smiled at the sight of Hyde with their daughter. She watched as he placed a purple flower in her crib. She couldn't help but shed a tear.

"I want to call her Iris." She said happily.

He smiled "She's our flower."

Hyde leaned down and kissed his daughter as she lay next to the flower that shared her name.

"Iris…" He whispered sweetly.

"Iris Elizabeth Hyde." Jackie added as he continued to smile down at their little girl.

"Iris Elizabeth, the closest thing to heaven I have ever seen, just like her mom."

* * *

"I came from heaven?" Iris asked her parents cheerily.

"You sure did, baby." Hyde answered honestly.

"And you named me like the purple flower?"

"Yep. We had never seen anything as pretty as the flower until you came along." Jackie ran her fingers through her daughter's curly tendrils.

" I really am pretty!" Iris mused, cheerfully confident.

"You are your mother's daughter, alright." Hyde laughed.

* * *

The years would pass, with many wonderful days like that one. They were a happy family. The three of them had their own little world. It was pure joy, with not a bit of heartache or pain in sight. It was the life everyone dreams of having, but precious few actually get to experience. As the woman stood now, many years later, her long raven curls flowing in the wind, she thought about those days. They were glorious days. She smiled as the memories came flooding back.

She looked down at the silver urn she held in her hands and smiled. She lifted it high as she removed the lid. She watched as the ashes blew in the breeze, cascading over the field of purple flowers before her. She watched as the ashes mingled together, in a dance in the sky. As they landed amongst the meadow of Irises, a tear came to her eye.

Iris Elizabeth Hyde smiled as the vision of her parents, laying together in an ornate field of Irises flashed before her eyes. They were young like when she was a child, and they were smiling, wrapped in each other's arms.

"Bye mommy. Bye daddy." She spoke out as she stared at the endless stream of purple before her.

The End

* * *

**A/N: I know, I am a hopelessly romantic, emotional, sap of a woman. Sue me! Lol I hope you liked it! Please review!**


End file.
